Police warn of Rancho Bernardo prowler

RANCHO BERNARDO  San Diego police on Friday were alerting people in Rancho Bernardo after a resident awoke to find a prowler inside her home and another resident reported a burglary two hours later.

Police were called to a house on Matinal Circle west of West Bernardo Drive at 2:20 a.m. Thursday when homeowners reported their daughter had woke up to the sound of footsteps on the downstairs wood floor, police said.

She got out of bed and looked downstairs and saw a man she described as having short spiky hair wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, baggy jeans and white high-top sneakers.

When he realized she was there, he left out the front door in an unknown direction, police said. He stole a cell phone, said Lt. Steve Villalobos.

The intruder had opened two rear screen doors looking for unlocked windows before he found the front door unlocked. He used a potted plant to prop open the front screen door, police said.

Two hours later and a couple of blocks away on Chieftain Court, a man reported that his laptop had been stolen and his sliding glass door was open.

He told officers that he had been working on the computer about 1 a.m. and then went to sleep. When he returned to it about 4:30 a.m., it was gone, police said.

A couple of minutes later, two neighbors on Carranza Drive called police and said their outdoor motion lights kept turning on and off. Three other residents reported having their rear sliding screen doors partially opened, police said. Some found their front and side gates open.

Investigators are trying to determine if all of the incidents are related. Officers are conducting extra patrols in the area.

Villalobos said Friday there were no additional reports of the prowler overnight Thursday. He cautioned residents to be vigilant, keep their doors and windows locked, and call police at (619) 531-2000 to report any suspicious activity in the area.